Love Does Not Lie
by Lady Jaina
Summary: An old enemy of Amanda's comes from out of the past, but everyone thinks he is after Lee-including Amanda. Tinman's pattern is starting all over again. My first fan fic!
1. Prologue

Love Tells No Lies  
  
Disclaimer: All of the characters are the property of Shoot the Moon and Warner Bros. No infringement intended. Any new characters are my own.  
  
Summary: An old enemy of Amanda's comes from out of the past, but everyone thinks his is after Lee-including Amanda. Tinman's pattern is starting all over again.  
  
Timeline: End of Fourth Season  
  
Rating: PG-for violence and some things that may no be appropriate for younger children.  
  
Archive: Any SMK Fan Fiction Archive  
  
Feedback: Please! This is my first fan fic, so I need all the help I can get! Prologue  
  
The day dawned bright and cloudless in Arlington, Virginia-though the day was crisp and cool. Fall had finally arrived in the D.C. area and the trees were now bright splashes of color, but Amanda Stetson didn't have much time to appreciate it. Neither did her husband of three months, Lee Stetson. An old agency enemy was stirring things up. This was the enemy most had forgotten about, and Amanda had never heard of him. Lee tried to hide his feelings about the case from Amanda, and the rest of the Agency for that matter, but in all truthfulness, he was scared to death. Amanda, however, had noticed the change in her husband's attitude over the last hew weeks and had done some investigation of her own. Now she casually glanced up from her desk and asked, "Lee, did you know that Tinman has a brother?" Lee's coffee went down the wrong way. At last he managed to sputter, "How did you find out about him?" Amanda dodged the question, "Why didn't you tell me?" Lee sighed and sat his personalized coffee mug down on his desk, "It was an 'eye only' file. Billy and I don't have any leads as to what he is planning. If Billy knew we wre married, he would hve probably told you himself." Now it was Amanda's turn to sigh, "I wish he knew!" "So do I, Amanda, but I think it's for the best that he doesn't right now." Lee was secretly glad, for once, that the marriage was secret. He only hoped that Tinman's brother was as in the dark as everyone else. He knew that sooner or later, the brother of Sir Deich would come after him, and he didn't want his wife and new family mixed up in it. He could only hope the man had never seen or heard of Amanda. 


	2. Remembrance of Things Past

Chapter One-Remembrance of Things Past  
  
By: CodedMessage  
  
Lee was getting edgy. They knew Tinman's brother was in town, but they didn't have anything to go on. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Had this happened even a year before, Lee would not be worried, but now he had someone he loved-yet another person Tinman could have killed. His mind flashed back to many years before-the roses-guns-Dorothy. His thoughts were interrupted by Billy. "Scarecrow, I have some good, and some bad, news." "Good first." "Serdyich is dead. He died yesterday morning in jail. The bad thing is, his brother may now decide to make his move. I think I should put you in a safe house." "No!" Lee said, a little louder and more forcefully than he had meant to. "I can take care of myself-I've done it before." He didn't tell the real reason. Last time, Amanda's windshield had been blow out-this time it could be a lot worse. He had to stay close to her, and he might not be able to do that in a safehouse. "Lee, I'm calling in the Wizard on this one. He might be able to shed some light on this for us." "Billy, Paul Barnes is retired. Don't forget, I thought it was him last time and almost killed him." "I haven't forgotten, Scarecrow. At least we know it's not him this time."  
  
SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK  
  
Paul Barnes arrived a few days later and it was arranged for him to meet Lee that night. Amanda was to tag along also. At three in the afternoon, the phone in Lee's office rang. Amanda was in the vault, so Lee picked it up. "Scarecrow here." "Lee, it's Billy-Paul Barnes' wife is dead. It looks like an apparent suicide. The Wizard is still meeting you tonight, but maybe you shouldn't take Amanda. Paul's wife hasn't been the only woman killed in the last couple of months." Lee's mind went twenty directions at once as he sank down slowly into a chair. It was happening again. "Did I know any of the women?" There was silence and that gave Lee his answer as he slowly hung up the phone. Amanda stood in the doorway of the vault, gazing at her husband with worry. "I heard your end of the conversation. It's happening again, isn't it?" Lee nodded with a sigh and walked over to her, "Billy suggested that I not bring you with me tonight." "I'm going Lee. You know I won't stay put-I'd be too worried about you-and besides, you and Paul will need some backup-I'll be fine. This mad man is after you, not me-plus, I'm with you." Scarecrow wasn't so sure, but he knew better than to argue with Amanda.  
  
SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK  
  
Paul Barnes stood waiting for them in front of the abandoned warehouse. He looked terrible, but both Lee and Amanda had the good sense to keep their comments to theirselves. "I would normally say that it was nice to see the both of you, but under the circumstances." "I know," Lee replied, "Do you have any ideas?" "Actually, I do. I am fairly certain that Serdyich's brother now goes by the name of." He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Behind him, the condemned warehouse suddenly burst into a ball of flames. The force threw everyone to their knees. Lee grabbed Amanda as they were thrown forward, trying, in vain-it seemed, to protect her from the force of the explosion. 


	3. Unfinished Business

Chapter Two-Unfinished Business  
  
The man stood watching from a distance. He knew that the three would be too busy try to remain alive to notice him. He watched as the three people slowly arose and slammed his fist on the wooden railing in front of him. Amanda King was still alive. He realize that he should have known her husband would get her away from the flames in time.  
  
He would have to deal with all three of them later, but Mrs. King came first. He would never forget what she had done to him. He may have only been in High School, but he remembered it vividly.  
  
They had been in the movies. His mind was suddenly immersed in the past. Yes, he had some unfinished business that needed to be taken care of.  
  
SMKsmkSMKsmkSMK  
  
Lee and Amanda looked up as Billy rushed into the emergency room waiting room. He looked angry. "What the devil happened Lee?" Lee looked away, "Paul was about to tell us who Serdyich's brother when the warehouse blew. Amanda and I got away with a few scratches, but the Wizard wasn't so lucky. We're on our own with this case, Billy-Paul may not be able to help us for a while." Billy sighed, "We're short handed, or I would put every agent I've got on it. Personally, I think you need to stay away from this one. Something just doesn't feel right about this. Anyway, I think you should take Amanda home, then get some sleep yourself." Lee took Amanda home, but not the home Billy was thinking of. He had a crazy feeling that she was in danger that he just couldn't explain. They sat at his dining room table sipping some water and pondering the case. Lee sputtered and coughed and he said, "Amanda, I don't think you should go home tonight. Tinman's brother may know what you look like now, and if anything ever happened to you." Amanda put her hand on his arm, "Nothings." She trailed off, seeing a funny colored gas flooding the room through the vents. She began to cough, too. Suddenly it was hard to breath. Half dizzy, she looked around and saw Lee lying on the floor. Knowing that she would soon end up like that, she dashed for the phone. She punched the last digit of the agency's number before she surrendered to the blackness.  
  
SMKsmkSMKsmkSMK  
  
The call was forwarded to Billy, who was in his car. There was dead silence, but Billy didn't hang up. He had heard something. A door creaked and he briefly heard a voice mutter, "I have you at last. Too bad he can't protect you." He heard a dial tone. He felt sick. His instincts told him that the "he" mentioned was Lee, and that could mean only one thing. He executed a rubber-burning u-turn. They hadn't had time to make it too Amanda's house, and a clock had chimed. He would recognize that chime anywhere. It was from a clock that had supposedly been in Lee's family for years. He called for backup. Billy and Francine found Lee lying unconscious on his dining room floor, but as Billy had feared, Amanda was nowhere to be found. Francine knelt down next to Lee and felt for a pulse, then turned to Billy, "He's alive. Whoever took Amanda must have used zap gas combined with something else." Billy nodded silently and shook Lee wake. Lee awoke with a start and grabbed Billy by the lapels of his blazer. "She's gone, isn't she? He took her, and I couldn't stop him." He struggled to his feet as Billy quietly told him, "We'll find her, don't worry. It's you he wants, remember, this is how he will get you to come to him. He won't kill her." "I hope your right. I couldn't live without her." Both Francine and Billy looked sympathetic, worried, and slightly puzzled.  
  
SMKsmkSMKsmkSMK  
  
Amanda slowly came to. The first thing she felt was the rope holding her to a thick pipe. She smelled the thick, horrible smell of cigar smoke and gagged. As her eye focused on the man in front of her, she said loudly, "What do you want, and what have you done with Lee?" "My dear Amanda, don't tell me you don't remember me. Well, I suppose you wouldn't. After all, we did not part well. Your precious Scarecrow is no doubt dead by now." Amanda knew better, the same gas had been used on the two of them. "What do you want?" She asked haltingly, her cheerful ramble gone. "To kill you." The man replied simply, then with a gleam in his eye, began to advance toward her. 


	4. Remembrance of Things Past

Remembrance of Things Past  
  
While Amanda's crumpled form lay in the floor, the man paced. The memories were flooding back vividly.  
It had been the first time anyone had said no to him. They had been at a movie, reviewing it for their drama class, who would act it out soon. It had been before he had joined his brother. She had been beautiful their senior year-she still was-and he had just moved there a few weeks before. They had hit it off instantly and he had inadvertently fell in love with her smile and incessant rambling.  
He had asked her to come home with him that night, he remembered. She had lightly said no. He could hear her words even now, "We just met a few weeks ago, and I told you, I'm dating someone."  
Her words had made him mad, and he had grown more persistent, grabbing her by the arms. She had slapped him and ran. That was when he began stalking her. He was sure she had all but forgotten the night that followed that.  
She had turned him down yet again and he had been thrown in jail for several years. He swore he would get revenge. She had been the cause of everything-he always got what he wanted, every woman he had ever known knew that.  
Then he had begun working for his brother. Now he was glad he had. He had waited a long time for this. He never would have found her if he hadn't promised his brother he would keep an eye on Scarecrow. Now she would pay for choosing someone else over him.  
  
SMKsmkSMKsmkSMK  
  
Lee was wearing a path into the carpet of Billy's office. Billy and Francine could only watch and listen as he ranted.  
"How could I have let this happen?! He's got her because he wants me and will probably kill her if I don't come! But, we're so blasted understaffed that we can't get any leads!"  
Billy motioned for Francine to leave so he could speak with Lee privately.  
"Lee, get a grip! We'll find her. We will get a lead soon!"  
"Billy, you don't understand. I can't go on without her...she's my wife." He said this last part very softly, almost sobbing.  
Billy misheard him, "I know she's your life," he consoled, not really understanding.  
This time Lee said it more forcefully, "You sill don't understand Billy. She's my *wife*."  
Billy stood, "Oh boy." He muttered (though he was glad his favorite agent had finally found someone), then asked more loudly, "When did this happen."  
Lee pulled himself together and began to tell his story, revealing parts even Amanda didn't know, or at least, he hadn't told her.  
"When I first met Amanda and got to know her, she was cute, but her talking got on my nerves, or at least I acted like it did. Now it's one of the things I love most about her. Truthfully, I was glad for her company, and though I didn't want to admit it at first, I admired her and knew that she would make a good agent. I'm not sure when I realized I was falling for her. But my feelings for her changed each time something happened to her. I was scared I would lose her. Soon I found that I was beginning to make excuses just to drop by her house. I finally proposed while we were being held by Addi Birol."  
Billy interrupted, "I think I already know when you two got hitched. I had been wondering when you first mentioned it, but I think I but it all together. It was that case with the paintings and your ex-con pal where you and Amanda were so anxious to go on your vacations-or should I say, vacation."  
Lee merely nodded, "Then, Amanda got shot. I've never been that worried in my life-until now."  
"It must have been a bummer-"  
Francine strode in hurriedly, unannounced, and Billy had the good since to shut his mouth. He was happy for Lee, but if word got out, it would shoot through the bullpen like wildfire.  
"I think we may have found something. A large house in a ritzy neighborhood. Serdyich's mother lived their until her death and the house was sold to what the land lady described as a "normal American with just a slight unidentifiable accent."  
Lee stood, clenching and unclenching his fists. "She's there, I know it."  
*Hang on Amanda, I'm coming for you!* 


End file.
